U.S. Physicist Making Study Of Auroras

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30959, 15 January 1966, Page 12

U.S. Physicist Making Study Of Auroras

“Just the incentive to learn,” replied Dr. Manfred H. Rees, a physicist from the University of Colorado, when asked in Christchurch yesterday whether his study of the diurnal motion of auroral hydrogen at Byrd Station, in the Antarctic, had any practical application. Dr. Rees has just completed a brief visit to Byrd Station to “set up” one of his graduate students, Mr Phillip Benedict, who will carry out a programme of auroral observations during the winter. “We are interested in particular in learning more about hydrogen radiation in association with auroras,” he said. “We are doing the work at Byrd Station because it is in the zone of maximum auroral activity, and enough polewards on latitude 80 to give several weeks of total darkness during the winter.

“This work can’t be carried out elsewhere in the western hemisphere, or in the northern zone. This is pure research, the main incentive being to learn more about the physics of the aurora, and in particular, the pattern of proton precipitation, which is one part of the mechanism producing the luminous part of the aurora.” Dr. Rees will fly back to the United States from Harewood tonight and after visiting the University of Colorado will go to the University of Alaska, where he will do similar research at the geophysical research station there. “I have enjoyed my brief stay in New Zealand,” he said. “I was lucky to have four or five spare days waiting to fly to the ice, and friends took me to Arthur's Pass, where I stayed at their cottage and pottered about." He said he hoped to return to New Zealand. This would depend on the outcome of this year’s programme. His work is backed by a United States National Science Foundation grant of 35,100 dollars to the University of Colorado.